Snow conditions 16.3.2012
16.03.2012
Since midweek it has been sunny and gradually warmer. The snow cover softened during the day and froze at night. Only in shaded areas did the snow remain poorly transformed. The freezing level was at around 2600 m above sea level.
The snow cover is mostly covered with a crust that bears human weight. Not only on wind-packed spots, but also elsewhere the surface is icy. During the day snow on sun-exposed aspects softens and freezes at night. Even in shaded aspects the snow cover is mostly crusty or even hard at lower elevations.
Significant snow cover extends in shady aspects mostly up to around 1100 m above sea level, on sun-facing slopes it is bare even above 1600 m. At 1500 m above sea level consolidated snow cover is mainly on plateaus and shady aspects. In the Julian Alps there is up to around 50 cm of snow, elsewhere up to around 30 cm. Above 2000 m in the Julian Alps up to around 90 cm of snow. Avalanche danger is 1st degree. The snow cover is mostly well transformed, especially in places with drifted snow there are still insufficiently bonded layers in depth, on which snow can slab only if the snow cover softens or becomes saturated due to sun and high temperature. Therefore during the day avalanche danger slightly increases on sun-facing slopes. Only sufficiently steep slopes are dangerous, as well as drifted snow spots that can release with greater additional stress. Especially on wind-packed spots and in shaded aspects there is also risk of gliding.
Today and tomorrow, Saturday, mostly clear, tomorrow more cloudiness especially in western Julians and in Posočje. Freezing level today above highest peaks, tomorrow slightly cooler with freezing level at around 2500 m above sea level. On Sunday mostly cloudy and mostly dry, sunny still on Pohorje and in eastern Karawanks. A bit cooler. On Monday night minor precipitation will start in the west. Avalanche conditions will not change much until Monday.
New report will be issued on Monday, 19.3.2012.
General avalanche danger is 1st degree on the European five-level scale.
Source: ARSO